Training Log Archive: Nadim

From Northfield Rd. to Norfolk Ave. with Max to eat lunch; then back.

From Northfield Rd., Moorland Ln. to Glenwood Rd., to Old Georgetown Rd., to Kingswood Rd. to Hurst St., to Grosvenor Rd., to Beach Dr. to Jones Mill Rd. to Jones Bridge Rd., to Rockville PIke/Wisconsin Ave., to Woodmont Ave., to Battery Ln. to Park St. to Custer Rd. I got going late so I kept this to be a shorter ride. My left foot was feeling better today and the swelling had gone down. At a traffic light, I got caught by a guy I'd seen earlier. On his red bike, he's always pulling out his cell phone, riding with no hands for a while and slowing up for a little while, and then putting it away. He used to pull away much more easily, but today I was pacing much closer to him. I didn't feel strong nor up to my old speeds, but I might be getting stronger.

I had already been thinking of taking a rest day from cycling, or to try a little running. After my ride the day before, I'd nodded off at my desk and woke to find my left foot hurting. On this day it was swollen and still hurting when walking. It got itchy too. I'm not sure what caused the pain. The pain was centered on the bone leading to the toe next to my little toe. A day or 2 earlier, I had noticed a small bump on the left foot ankle towards my front. I got busy with working late this day so I just decided it'd be best to make it a full rest day.

From Northfield Rd., Huntington Pkwy., to Bradley Rd., to Persimmon Tree Rd., to Persimmon Tree Ln. to MacArthur Blvd., to Sangmore Rd., to the Little Falls Trail, to the Capital Crescent Trail, to Falls Rd., to Glenbrook Rd., to Wilson Ln., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. Like 2 weeks ago, I was sore starting out. This time it was from consecutive rides. I felt like I was struggling too much. It was a great low humidity day in the low 80s F. I had some modest headwinds. My time was 42 seconds slower.

From Nortfhfield Rd., Custer Rd., to Wilson Ln. to MacArthur Blvd., to Sangmore Rd., to the Capital Crescent Trail to Woodmont Ave. to Battery Ln. to Wisconsin Ave./Rockville Pike, to Jones Bridge Rd., to Jones Mill Rd. to Beach Dr., to Grosvenor Rd., to Fleming Ave., to the Bethesda Trolley Trail, to Beech Ave. to Old Georgetown Rd., to Huntington Pkwy. to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. I was a bit sore starting out. That improved after about 25 minutes. I didn't push the pace. The weather was comfortable for riding.

I used a guide book that I've been using since the 1990s to do some good rides. I picked-out the "Back by Noon" ride from Chuck and Gail's Favorite Bike Rides book. The problem was that I didn't even get started until after 1pm. Starting out it was humid, sunny, and around 89 F. It probably got hotter. I was feeling the early hills and not recovering so well from them. The ride starts next to the Potomac River and heads north. I extended it by taking a portion of other rides in the book. I generally climbed for the first +13 miles. The wind was with me on this but that meant I wasn't getting a cooling breeze. After hitting Comus Rd. I then hit some rolling hills as I crossed ridges getting to the base of Sugarloaf Mountain. Some of these from the beginning were steep. I took a much needed break at 20 miles, in Dickerson, getting a cold drink and an energy bar. Clouds started moving in and the route became less severe regarding the hills. Traffic got lighter too. There was some rather nice farm country and a few facilities tucked away so that few would see them (power plant, NIH Animal Testing center, and a county police gun range). I missed a turn (using cue sheets) and had to turn around at one point, after the road had turned to dirt and had shifted northward, where I'd come from. I was going slow enough (by necessity) that the winds didn't bother me much--when riding into them or hitting them from the side they were cooling. Though I was nearly done, I took a break at 40 miles, with 5 miles to go. I guess I looked decrepit sitting in the grass since a passing car stopped to see if I was okay. I judged the clouds in the distance and figured correctly that I could beat the coming rain. Finishing-up going down the first big hill that I climbed, I hit the top speed of the route--a little over 30mph, and had to take a sharp right at the bottom. Back at Riley's Lock there were people riding the C&O towpath. I stopped in Potomac, MD to bring home some pizza and groceries. With knee pain, I walked kind of funny there. I was rained on while driving home, but I got ahead of it again and got everything out of the van before it fell.

Summer Short Series at Greenbelt Park, MD. Marie Pangrácová setup a nice training event in the often green (as-in-thick) park. It was titled "Invisible controls". The woods the course went through were not bad. There was some stilt grass but not so much, and use of trails helped. I ran the long course option B.

The setup was to have multiple features inside a larger than normal control circle, and to use the clue description to go to the right feature. The control circles were not centered in the circle. Sometimes there was more than one streamer to find and you had to know which one to go to. It took me a few controls to get into reading the map comfortably. Except for one leg I went slowly. It was hot and humid. There were often several people around me but I broke away from one group before plowing into another. My worst error (#15) was not recognizing the clue for a linear marsh. I'd seen most people use an intermittent stream symbol instead. My clue description holder also had ink in the window from old clue sheets and that made it hard to read through. On the run-in, Some people ahead of me were paralleling the road and with my current slow running speed, I took a risk getting ot the woods trail. That turned out to be longer. The map doesn't show the true curves of the trail.

From Northfield Rd., to Bethesda Ave. to get dinner, then back home. I was glad to get out and ride. Heavy rains and working late interrupted efforts to exercise the last 2 days. My legs were unexpectedly sore while riding. I'm not sure why--maybe because of no training and sitting at my computer for 2 days--but I'd been retaining a lot of water. My feet were swelling again.

From Northfield Rd., to Huntington Pkwy., to Bradley Blvd., to Seven Locks Rd., to Tuckerman Rd., to Grosvenor Pl., to Grosvenor Rd., to Beach Dr., to Jones Mill Rd., to Jones Bridge Rd., to Rockville Pike, to Woodmont Ave., to Batter Ln. to Park Ln, to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. After eating dinner I got out again. The sun was low starting out. It must have set while I was only halfway. I turned on the lighting in my Lumos helmet and while waiting at a traffic light, a guy in a car asked me about it; he wanted to get one. The weather was nice for riding. No wind and moderate temperatures. I rode a little easier because I was still digesting.

From Northfield Rd., to Huntington Pkwy., to Bradley Blvd., to Seven Locks Rd., to Tuckerman Rd., to the Bethesda Trolley Trail, to Beech Ave., to Old Georgetown Rd., to Huntington Pkwy., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. I got a late start. I thought I'd be feeling the longer ride yesterday but that didn't happen for a while at least. I probably had a tailwind going out because I was riding into the wind finishing-up. I felt that I was moving up hills much more quickly than I have been doing. I messed-up the timing again but the GPS noted the long pause, which I've accounted for in both mileage and time.

From Northfield Rd., to Moorland Dr. to Glenwood Rd., to Old Georgetown Rd., to W. Cedar Ave., to the Elmhirst Trail. to Beach Dr. to the Rock Creek Pkwy., to Pennsylvania Ave., NW. to M St., NW to Key Bridge, to the Custis Trail, to the Ballston Connector Trail, to N. Wakefield St., to the Bluemont Junction Trail, to Wilson Blvd., to N. Edison St., to the Bluemont Junction Trail to the Washington & Dominion Trail (W&OD Trail) to S. Shirlington Rd., to the Shirlington Connector Trail to the Four Mile Run Trail, to the Mount Vernon Trail, to the 14th St. Bridge., to Ohio Dr., SW, to the Rock Creek Trail, to 30th Ct., NW, to Water St., NW., to the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT), to Falls Rd., to Glenbrook Rd., to Wilson Ln., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd.

I had intended to ride 40 miles today and I hit my goal. Instead of doing it on country roads, I was able to ride into Arlington and meet my good friend Lawrence Ong. Lawrence is about to retire and reset his life again. It was good to catch-up. We split a nice white pizza at Pupatella on Wilson Blvd., It was nice to cruise through my old haunting grounds. Arlington has a lot going for it. People were out in force enjoying the nice day. Riding the trails meant keeping my pace moderate. That was good. I was having trouble pacing. The winds hitting me from multiple directions had some to do with that. I rode several miles with an older guy who was perhaps catching-up to me as I got on the W&OD Trail. I pulled ahead some but with stops for traffic lights and there being little room to pass, we kept going together. Along the waterfront and volleyball courts in DC, there was trail construction. A new tunnel was being put into the Roosevelt Bridge for the trail--I didn't know they could do that to such an old bridge. Finishing-up on my old commute route was nice and somewhat gentle for the slopes (RR grade CCT). My GPS timing got messed-up at traffic lights. My time is an estimate but I measured out the distance with GMaps Pedometer. Even after drinking water when I finished, my weight was 203.6 lbs.

From Leaman Park in southwest Germantown, MD, I did a loop picking-up the mini controls that I'd set out on Saturday for SSS training. The weather was just as nice as the day before. Because Peggy had come along and was helping me to pickup other controls that I'd set out, I got to approach and leave some controls from different directions. I found some things to update on the map. I ran where I could which was most of this, and I felt pretty good overall.

From Hoyles Mill Village Park, I set 2 controls. In retrospect, I should have just done these 2 as part of a fuller loop. I was also surprised to see the growing Stilt Grasses. Most of these areas showed no sign of it during he winter months when I mapped.

From Kings Crossing Local Park, in Germantown, MD, I set controls for the Summer Short Series. The woods were overall pretty good. There was some stilt grass growth in low-laying areas. Crossing the creeks was easy and refreshing. I missed on one control and actually set the control on the wrong dot knoll inside a circle--oops! I must not have checked the clue.

From Northfield Rd. to Rugby Ave. with Max to eat lunch; then back.

From Northfield Rd., to Moorland Ln., to Glenwood Rd., to Old Georgetown Rd., to Kingswood Rd., to Hurst St., to Grosvenor Rd., to Beach Dr., to Broadbranch Rd., NW, to Ridge Rd. NW, to Military Rd., NW, to 27th St., NW/Utah Ave., NW, to Tennyson St., NW, to Summerfield Rd., NW, to Oxford St. NW, to Brookeville Rd., to Bradley Blvd., to Glenbrook Rd., to Wilson Ln., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. It was in the upper 80s F. and it felt more humid than it has been. I was feeling worn-out so I felt like I rode a little slower. Some apparently older but fit men passed me. I wasn't getting over feeling tired, 6 miles into the ride and I thought of shortening the ride. After crossing into DC, +8 miles into the ride, things got better. I got passed by a couple when I was going uphill, but I passed them afterward and pulled ahead passing other riders too. Perhaps the valley was more sheltered from winds that were coming from the south. I didn't look forward to the climb out of the valley but it turned out that I rode it better than I have been doing. That kept up all the way home with the wind mostly coming from behind me.

From Northfield Rd., to Custer Rd., to Park Ln. to Battery Ln. to Woodmont Ave., to Rockville PIke, to Jones Bridge Rd., to Jones Milll Rd., to Beach Dr., to Garrett Park Rd., to the Waverly Ave., via the hiker-biker trail, to Kenilworth Ave., to Strathmore Ave., to Rockville Pike, to Tuckerman Rd., to the Bethesda Trolley Trail to McKinley St., to Moorland Ln., to Northfield Rd. I didn't get outside to ride until after eating dinner and doing most of the dishes. Glad that there was no rain and wanting to do something, I took advantage of the long days to get out. It had rained some earlier today and it had been warm, so it was humid when I rode. That didn't bother me much and since the sun was going down, air in many places felt cool and refreshing. I did finally run out of sunlight, but I kept safe by using the lights in my helmet and using sidewalks or paths when it was too dark. That slowed me a little but I still was worried I'd ride into/over a pothole. Damp areas of asphalt were blacker than their surroundings, thus giving the appearance of a pothole. My full stomach did slowed me down too.

From Northfield Rd., Huntington Pkwy., to Bradley Rd., to Persimmon Tree Rd., to Persimmon Tree Ln. to MacArthur Blvd., to Sangmore Rd., to the Little Falls Trail, to the Capital Crescent Trail, to Falls Rd., to Glenbrook Rd., to Wilson Ln., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. Starting out I was sore from the ride on Sunday. This got better but I was feeling more strain when riding at times. It was humid in the 80s F. I was sheltered a lot from whatever breeze there was.

From Columbia, Md., I rode home to Bethesda, MD. Peggy dropped me off here after we had visited our daughter Samantha. Samantha was in good spirits and enjoyed getting some more clothes and some snacks.

The route was from a shopping center on Old Dobbin Ln. to Dobbin Rd., to the Elkhorn Branch paved hiker-biker trail, past the nice Lake Elkhorn, to the Patuxent Branch Trail, to S. Carlinda Ave., to Shaker Ln. to Old Columbia Rd., to John Hopkins Rd., to Pindell School Rd., to Browns Bridge Rd./Ednor Rd., to New Hampshire Rd., to Randolph Rd., to Kemp Mill Rd., to Arcola Ave., to Lamberton Dr., to the Sligo Creek Trail., to the Sligo Creek Pkwy., to Forest Glen Rd., to Beach Dr., to Kensington Pkwy., to Jones Bridge Rd., to Rockville Pike., to Woodmont Ave., to Batter Ln., to Old Georgetown Rd., to Maple Ridge Rd., to Park Ln., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd.

It was in the low 80s with a strong sun. The winds were mixed for me but the hills were consistent--they tuckered me out. My knee held up okay. I stopped several times. A few stops were to check directions. I'd written turn-by-turn directions on a note sheet. There were two pieces of paper but I must have left on in the car along with my water bottle. On New Hampshire Ave. I stopped a few times to take pictures of the many eclectic religious houses of worship--the diversity in close proximity always struck me as intriguing. In one stretch, one can find: Cambodian Buddhist Society, United Baptist, First Alliance Church, Saint Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, Muslim Community Center, Luthern Church of Saint Andrew, Spencerville Seventh-day Adventist Church, Holy Trinity Ukranian Catholic Church, and the Prayer Stop, I did stop for some Gatorade too.

Summer Short Series:. Ted Good setup the first SSS event post QOC's regular season. It was partly to benefit those competing internationally but none of those competitors could make it. It was pretty fun and on the University of Maryland campus. My knee didn't feel so good starting out but it got better. The first course was a woods sprint. Having rained the night before, it was humid and damp in low lying places but not excessively. I was in a rush to get ready so I didn't even wear o-pants. Running in just a shirt and shorts turned-out to be fine, as long as I took some precautions. I started near another QOC runner and almost caught him at the first control. I did the longer wood sprint and I think the other guy was doing the shorter one--we were together trading leads up until #7 which I got to first. I actually missed #8 because I misunderstood the clue description for upper stairs. I went all around and inside the bottom of a parking lot garage stairwell and concluded someone must have taken the streamers. I made a mistake dropping down for #10. I corrected and saw Peggy approaching #12. At #13, I didn't read the clue and went to a building corner, then all the way around it (it was a shed-like building) before seeing it on the corner of a hillside spur. I did however find some bee hives at the building and managed not to get stung--Ted hadn't seen them. After leaving #16, I got ahead of Peggy by hitting #17 well. Something seemed a little off with the map there (I'm not sure) and Peggy was off to the right. I changed my route to #23 but got hung up in some green anyway. As I said, it was fun overall! I ran 4.8K for the 3.8K course.

SSS at UMD, College Park, MD. The second sprint was mostly across the UMD campus. Max's girlfriend Sammie did this with Max. I did well avoiding most traps. I went on the western route for #2 though I'm not sure that was the best route--I also made a small bobble turning-in one building gap too early, then quickly correcting it. I had trouble sometimes distinguishing colors correctly, such as the difference between a lone tree and a fountain. I did make a mistake getting to #8, but not for the obvious trap. I went right initially, to try to get through the upper level stairs to the inside corner, but that way was blocked; I was interpreting a purple narrow out-of-bounds area (partial purple Xs) as black fencing. I also paused at the mapped tunnel which I felt should have been mapped as a canopy. I left #9 kind of funny so I ended up taking the long way around a building rather than using a narrow passage trail. It was still fun. Later a lot of the group went to eat outdoors at a place called The Hall where more fun was had.

From Northfield Rd., I went downtown to pickup dinner for Max and myself. I'd been busy all day and didn't have much time to ride so this was a good chance to get some blood circulation going. It was breezy and I was downtown in 4:51 minutes! I took the longer way back to avoid traffic but it was into the wind.

From Northfield Rd., to Moorland Ln., to Glenwood Rd., to Old Georgetown Rd., to Kingswood Rd., to Hurst St., to Grosvenor Rd., to Beach Dr., to Broadbranch Rd., NW, to Ridge Rd. NW, to Military Rd., NW, to 27th St., NW/Utah Ave., NW, to Pinehurst Circle, to Western Ave. NW, to Primrose St. NW, to Brookeville Rd., to Bradley Blvd., to Glenbrook Rd., to Wilson Ln., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. Starting out, I wasn't sure how long I'd go since rain was on the way. I had to start and stop a lot at traffic lights/stop signs. Since most of Old Georgetown Rd. is busy with commuters leaving work and eager to get home, I would get up to what's a quick speed for me, and then have to do it again. I'm not in shape for accelerations so it tired me early. On Beach Dr. in Rock Creek, MD, I caught and passed a guy. I slowed and we exchanged leads for a while. I eventually lost him at the hill at the Wise Rd., NW intersection, however I did gain on him again until he turned around shortly before Military Rd., NW. A couple of other faster riders passed me while I was moving well somewhere past the park police station. Climbing out of the Rock Creek valley, I got passed pretty easily where it was steep. I didn't feel as strong as the last time I did this route, however I was actually moving as fast or faster. With some wind behind me on the flat part of Bradley Blvd., I moved over 20mph but I got stopped by traffic in poor places to keep a momentum later. As I turned up the gradual climb on Glenbrook Rd., the wind shifted to a headwind as I was moving towards home and the approaching storm.

From Nortfhfield Rd., Custer Rd., to Wilson Ln. to MacArthur Blvd., to Sangmore Rd., to the Capital Crescent Trail to Falls Rd., to Glenbrook Rd., to Wilson Ln., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. I was a little tired from running long on Sunday. However, this helped get some soreness out of my legs.

Event: QOC Jug Bay
 

QOC: Jug Bay - The Chase (a.k.a., the Beer Chase). I ran Blue. On the first loop, I was not keeping up with the pace. Peggy was slowly pulling away after the first control. I had people around me a fair amount but I relied upon myself. In a few places, it helped me to have someone nearer to the control however I was following bearings pretty well and successful at reading the contours to see which direction to turn to find a control along the side of a gully. I saw Marie Pangracova near the end of the first loop, but she wasn't looking like her usual form. She was walking as if she had gotten injured.

My beer drinking wasn't quite in form either. I had to two-gulp it. Going outo on the second loop, which was a score-o/random order format, Jan Merka and I were near each other. I moved ahead attacking but I'd read the control to be on a stream bend and didn't find it, as I came straight at it. I went north, crossed and came back on the other side once realizing the control was on a small reentrant, not the stream. Jan had moved out, along with his daughter Alexis and friend Lucy; the later 2 had caught-up to Jan and I. We had all decided upon the same counter-clockwise loop, and there didn't seem much worth in going any other way. Jan and I both confided after running that we wanted to use the road towards the end, when we'd be more tired. Leaving the 3rd control the 3 others were still ahead, but they opted to cross a spur rather than go around it through the sometimes marshy flat land like I had. I got ahead of all 3 that way, but instead of continuing up the valley like I had, Jan crossed and climbed. The better footing up there got him ahead of me again approaching #109. I did back-track a little to use a trail bridge at one point, so that might have aided Jan in getting ahead too. The girls were not far back at #109. I went straight to #107. Jan had done so mostly too but I passed him and he was falling behind. I hit the edge of the next stream valley and correctly turned left to pretty much spike the control, and Jan was only a few steps behind, having corrected earlier. I went over a small spur to get to and cross the Pindell Branch stream. That kept me ahead of the others. Once climbing up and on the Pindell Bluff Trail however, the girls were right behind me. Lucy seemed strongest at that point. I thought she'd pass me but she seemed to wait for Alexis. Jan had dropped off the pace. At the road I stayed on the trail. and then cut in when I saw some marshyness to my right. The girls had come off of the road somehow. I'd gotten slowed by thicker vegetation near the marsh and they were somewhat ahead of me. However, I was reading the marsh edge well enough to look to my right and see the control first. After getting there, I left quickly and got back ahead of Alexis and Lucy to down my next beer a little better than the last.

The last loop was fairly short but with some still significant navigation necessary. I did not hit #22 well. I'd missed my attack point along the road, mistaking the mapped distinct tree symbol for a cairn (because of the smaller than usual symbol sizes on this map). I saw a ditch but wasn't sure it was the mapped linear marsh. I ended up getting north of the control and coming back. Alexis and Lucy passed me and got back to the road before me while heading towards #23. Their route seemed to be going on the wrong side of the larger marsh, so I made sure to go my own route around and on the east side of the green vegetation. The vegetation extended more to the east than was mapped. I picked-up on it and adjusted to hit #23 pretty well. Alexis and Lucy later told me that they had to go back to the road before getting to #23. I took the trail route to #24, and was a little to the right approaching #25. Recognizing it by the contour of the valley edge, I corrected and spiked #25. I went straight to the barn control and finished still feeling good--perhaps better than I had on the first loop. I think my recent cycling training has helped.

We had a nice picnic lunch on the lawn overlooking the bay. The weather was the best that I could remember ever for a Beer Chase. It was in the 70s with a pleasant breeze. People went into the water and we watched the club awards. We hung around a long time an enjoyed everyone's company.

Blue - Splits

From Northfield Rd., to Moorland Rd., to Glenwood Rd., to Old Georgetown Rd., to W. Cedarl Ln. to the Elmhirst Trail to Beach Dr. to Jones Mill Rd., to the Mormon Temple. The last hill getting up to the temple was rather steep.
and we were riding without our cycling shoes. Peggy and I toured the temple. It has been open for tours for just a few weeks; the first time in about 40 years since when it was first opened. From outside, afar and up-close, it is an impressive looking white tower with 5 golden spires up high. Inside it was less impressive from an aesthetic view. It was very neat, almost hotel-like, but we didnt get to see any big rooms. Across the approximate 7 stories, which we walked, there were many small rooms for changing clothes, being baptized, getting married, receiving instruction, and a spiritual room. The hosts were all very nice and working as volunteers to guide the crowds and even to kneel down and put on and take off wrappings over our shoes going into and leaving the main building.

Afterward, we biked on Jones Mill Rd., to Jones Bridge Rd., to Mano Rd., to Connecticut Ave., where we had lunch at the old Einstein Bagels restaurant. The bagelry is being surrounded by new condos and will eventually be replaced by a condo building too. All the growth is related to the new Purple Line light rail station that being built too.

From there we went to Jones Bridge Rd., to the Bethesda Trolley Trail, to Maple Ridge Rd., to Huntington Pkwy., to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. It was breezy and pleasant outside.

From Northfield Rd. Custer Rd. to Huntington Pkwy., to Old Georgetown Rd., to Glenwood Rd., to the Jefferson St. trail to Northfield Rd. I needed to walk to help my digestion.

From Northfield Rd. to Norfolk Ave. to pick-up lunch, then back.

From Nortfhfield Rd., Custer Rd., to Wilson Ln. to MacArthur Blvd., to Sangmore Rd., to the Capital Crescent Trail to Woodmont Ave. to Battery Ln. to Wisconsin Ave./Rockville Pike, to W. Cedar Ln. to Beach Dr., to Grosvenor Rd., to Fleming Ave., to the Bethesda Trolley Trail, to Beech Ave. to Old Georgetown Rd., to Huntington Pkwy. to Custer Rd., to Northfield Rd. It was hot and I was still a little sore or swollen from riding and hiking last weekend. I did okay.